1. Field of the Invention
The claimed invention is in the field of steering wheel covers for motor vehicles and the like. It was imagined by the inventors while driving large trucks over long distances as long-haul truck drivers. Because of the need for long-haul truck drivers to maintain control over the steering wheels of their vehicles, they tend to grip the steering wheels tightly. Such a tendency, along with the need to drive long distances on a regular basis, can lead to diseases of the hand, elbow, and shoulder, like carpal tunnel syndrome, Missouri metacarpal syndrome, arthritis, and other ailments, due to both a tight grip on the steering wheel and the absence of adequate dampening of vibration transmitted through the steering wheel. The problems with repetitive and prolonged use of the hands, arms, and shoulders and with the ill effects of vibration thereon are well known, as evidenced by, but not limited to, the following scholarly articles: “Manual Labor Metacarpophalangeal Arthropathy in a Truck Driver: A Case Report” (Journal of Chiropractic Medicine (J Chiropr Med. 2010 December; 9(4): 193-199), www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206566/); “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” (Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productld=10&pid=10&gid=000034); and “Vibration—Health Effects” (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/vibration/vibration_effect s.html).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of steering wheel covers, including those with larger grips on certain portions of the steering wheel are known to the art, but there does not exist a steering wheel cover with a number of inflatable bladders therein, or thereon, that enable an individual driver to adjust the size of certain parts of the steering wheel cover, thus creating surfaces, on the wheel, whose shapes conform to the driver's hands on the parts of the steering wheel where the driver's hands are most comfortably placed when cruising on a highway. Static areas of enlarged grip can only provide comfort and ergonomic benefits to drivers with certain sized hands, or certain comfort preferences, and cannot be adjusted to conform to the needs of every driver. Furthermore, the shape and placement of the bladders in the current invention solve comfort and health issues that have not been completely addressed by the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,713 discloses a safety cover for a steering wheel with an internal bladder or bladders that are adjustable by way of introduction of air or some other fluid. However, unlike the present invention, the use of said safety cover is primarily for safety reasons, by creating a soft surface for the driver in the event of the driver impacting the steering wheel during an automobile accident. Furthermore, said safety cover does not contemplate the use of multiple independently adjustable bladders in order to make the adjustment of said bladders such that they can be adjusted in size or volume to form a proper fit for the size of the individual driver's hands or for said driver's comfort preference.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,641 describes a steering wheel with adjustable palm swells. In said patent, the palm swells are incorporated into a steering wheel, rather than a steering wheel cover, making its incorporation into an existing vehicle significantly more difficult and more expensive. Further, said patent discloses bladders that are placed on a radially inward facing surface of the steering wheel rim, thus they increase the size of the steering wheel grip only on the inner, or steering wheel hub-facing, side of the steering wheel. Also, said patent does not disclose the specific placement of the bladders on the surface of the steering wheel, an essential and useful aspect of the current invention.